Hello win my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. Don’t ever disappear like that on us again. Ever.
Quick standings update:
Det 30-20 —
Chi 28-27 4.5
KC 25-28 6.5
Min 24-27 6.5
Cle 24-30 8.0
Well, the Tigers took 2 out of the last 3 from Oakland, and were perhaps a Castellanos catch away from taking the series. Considering how we had been playing, and the circumstances (best team in the AL on the road), I was very pleased with our last 3 games. That said, you have to wonder about Joe Nathan. Nathan is on pace for the worst year of his career; because even if he pitches perfectly from here on out, he’s already surpassed his 2013 HR allowed and blown save totals. Let that soak in.
Justin Verlander climbs the hill tonight. Rumor is that he used to be a dominating ace, though this last few starts have looked more like Dontrelle Willis than even a middle of the rotation pitcher. If he allows less than 8 baserunners tonight, that will be the first time he’s done that since his second start of the season. EIGHT. Let that soak in.
The Tigers face Hisashi Iwakuma tonight. Cano is out with an illness.
1. Kinsler, 2B
2. Hunter, RF
3. Cabrera, 1B
4. Martinez, DH
5. Jackson, CF
6. Avila, C
7. Castellanos, 3B
8. Romine, SS
9. Davis, LF (guess he’s not injured anymore.
Postgame:
That was about as clean as a win as you could ask for, unless, of course, you have JV on your weak hitting fantasy baseball team (it’s a sim league). In which case there is a huge difference between 2 and 3 earned runs. And that 3rd earned run is a tough one to swallow, resulting from Krol’s wild pitch and then a double off of Krol. I don’t know what it is, but 8 IP and 2 ER allowed seems like a dominating performance. 7 2/3 and 3 ER allowed, meh. Verlander did allow only 7 baserunners (there was one HBP), which resulted in his second game of the season with a WHIP less than 1.
We really don’t do well against CY ———(fill in the blank)
we need CY Verlander to show up tonight!
Here’s the way I look at it:
Tigers win streak: small sample size anomaly.
Tigers losing streak: small sample size anomaly.
Current Tigers road trip: 4-3 or 3-4 = normal.
We were spoiled by the hot run, which made the inevitable corrective cold run seem worse than it was (in the long run).
We’ll be fine.
Are there things to worry about? Of course!
I think a 4-game sample sets the mood, really. Tigers have won 3 of 4. The mood is good.
Anyone having problems logging into MLB audio?
It was out for me early on too.
Jackson has only 17 RBI in the 5 spot all year…47 games
JD Martinez in only 21 games has 11 RBI
Smarty called Smokey who said leave Jackson there he is DUE!!!
Unfortunately, J-Mart doesn’t play CF.
Hunter has turned into Delmon Young. He swings at everything – 6 BB so far only.
Get used to it. It does pay off enough to make it worthwhile.
Jackson grounds out in a clutch situation…..schockingly!!!!! He is still DUE!
Austin from Game 20 on: .564 OPS. But he’s not striking out all that often. Not a good two-strike hitter, and he’s at two strikes 50% of the time. He’s been to the plate 51 times with RISP, and he’s driven in 12. 6 times with sacrifice flies…
Baserunning and other basic fundementals are pathetic in the Tigers minor league system . Have been for years…Castellanos is a perfect example is that the 9 th or 10th dumb baserunning stunt so far.
It was mentioned earlier this season that Castellanos is one guy Ausmus should be keeping on a tight leash as far as base running goes. There is a limit to how much one can learn from mistakes and I’m not sure on-the-job training is a wise strategy to take with Casty.
A bit of a fright on the bases, yes.
Castellanos was rushed to the majors. Tigers must be convinced he’s a fast learner. Pitchers have been mercilessly pounding him with stuff he can’t hit since about the third week of the season. If he finishes at .250 or above, that would be an accomplishment.
At 3B, what concerns me is his arm. He’s pretty agile, the glove’s maybe not 100% sure, but the throwing especially leaves something to be desired. One thing Miguel Cabrera had going for him at 3B was a gun.
That was a MIGGY!!!
CASTY..isn’t slow…he just makes beyound rookie mistakes…I agree he should have been reeled in long ago….
Why wouldn’t you walk Victor with Mr 0 for May on deck?
Guess they didn’t hear me….or scout the Tigers!!!!
Avila is back to taking the first strike again. I guess he doesn’t check his stats that have him hitting over .400 on the first pitch swing…I wonder if he will check when he meets Mr Mendoza next week!!!
Nice job JV..we will take it…6 runners I think…below that dreaded 8!
But Joba got The Save. And he’s not The Closer. Is that allowed? I hope They don’t find out.
Hello from the greater seattle area: Firstoff, I have had a very most excellent day .(that is our highest rsting) As I have alluded to, I have had a fatal liver disease (HepC) for almost 30 years now. Today, a beaming Doctor said it is time to cure it! I will be getting more info, but that is HUGE news for my family,
Some BP Observations: Darnell runs a very tigh ship. I appreciate that as a former coach. Ian’s swing is very repieatable; almost metronome like. The ball off of Miggy and V Mart”s bats sounds different than anyone elses.
Game Time: JV is not sharp early. Ball strike ratio 50 50. Iwa getting the benefit of a low strike zone. My baby bro comments that Miggy looks more trim this year; I am relating the DTW’s concerns from earlier, and mention that he is getting around on the ball, 20 seconds later: GONE! My nephew is very impressed… Walk Miggy. what are you thikning? V Mart’s 340 foot dinger not as impressive as MC’s but looks better on the scoreboard.
Cruise control more or less the rest of the way, Krol had bad body lsnguage after giving up that run, do not like to see that from a young lefty.
All in all, a very special and fun day. There is no one I would rather go to a game with than my bro Joe. We know and love the game so much. Someday we all need to meet up and take in a game together. Good Night from the eastern shores of Lake washington.
Thank you for sharing the good news! An excellent day indeed. Your in-person impressions are much appreciated. It seems like Krol is going through a rough stretch, we may be seeing more of Coke soon. I liked what Victor said after the game: he said he used to get mad when they walked a guy to pitch to him, but he has learned that being mad interfered with his concentration. At any rate, If Jackson continues to be a 5-spot bummer than Martinez may end up leading the AL in intentional walks (if Lloyd was going to walk Cabrera there, he should have just gone for it and walked Victor too).
Great News Jim. I really, really enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Thank you for sharing.
I was thinking of you being there while watching last night, Jim. Glad you followed through with the report, thanks. Great that the Tigers got a win for you. Tremendous personal news – a very most excellent day, indeed.
How about Verlander coming off to a standing O? I thought that was pretty neat.
God Bless you Jim….enjoy the Tigers as icing on the cake!
KC starter Aaron Brooks’ day in Toronto: 2/3 inning, 3 walks, 2 HBP, 3 singles, 2 doubles, 7 runs. I guess he doesn’t get a Quality Start for that one.
Blue Jays coming up. That line could be hauntingly familiar in a few days. Maybe not the 2/3 part, but… let’s see… Sanchez, Porcello, Verlander. Yeah, I’ll be a bit nervous Game 55.
The West Coast puts me on a delay; last night’s game was the first I caught live since Memorial Day. Allow me to catch up with a few random observations and opinions.
I’m not impressed with how long Scherzer “lasted” against the A’s. He just wasn’t good, and his balk is the new stupidest play of the season. The rest of the team (minus Krol and his four-pitch walk) bailed him out. That was one heck of a turnaround game, against Sonny Gray and a quality bullpen, no less.
From what I’ve read about Nathan throwing Castellanos under the bus, it doesn’t seem like Nathan ever backed off, either. Yes, Nick did miss something playable, but it’s not like it was a routine play, either, and I’m not buying how Jaso reaching changes everything about pitching to Donaldson. I’ll spare you the longer paragraph, but I don’t like to see pitchers (who make more mistakes than anyone) laying blame on or getting flustered with their defenders. Ever. In any case, I have slightly more confidence in Castellanos at the plate than I do Nathan on the mound these days, and that’s not good.
I wanted Anibal to get his CG as much as anyone, but it’s hard to fault Awesome-Us for doing the obvious. Fan second-guessing of these choices usually involves an obviously specious argument. Sanchez gives up the HR, and then the complaint becomes leaving him in one batter too long.
Scott Kazmir turned in a hat tip-worthy performance, I think. It would have been amazing if Hunter’s impressive HR had stood up for the win.
Ricky P. got away with one. 6 walks and a Punto HR, yeesh. While I’m feeling negative about Krol right now, I should remember that he saved the game in the 6th, much as Nathan did not in the 9th. It is remarkable how many of Victor Martinez’s RBIs have been HUGE insurance runs or tie-breakers.
I started watching the first Mariners game in the 4th, the inning where JV allowed the Seager HR. So it’s funny that I’m left with the impression Verlander was the dominant Verlander of old, but so it is. I sure liked what he was doing. Victor’s game-winning AB was a thing of beauty. Generally impressive how the Tigers hitters got to Iwakuma. We complain how they make Cy’s of ordinary guys, but they’ve beaten two real Cy’s lately. Cut ’em down to Cy’s, you might say.
If not for Krol, I think Coke would have gotten the 9th last night with Detroit up 6-2.